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I smile at her and squeeze her hand just to make sure she knows everything is okay with the two of us.
“I’m ready to stand up now. Do you mind giving me a hand?” I ask.
“Of course.”
Once we’re standing, she gives me a hard look.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I won't lie, I’m still worried about him finding me here, but I’m feeling much better now, thanks to you. But you will keep checking in with Madge, right?” I ask anxiously. “I need to know if he’s going to come anywhere near me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.” She nods. “Do you want me to stay the night? Would that help you feel any better? It’s no trouble. All you have to do is say the word.”
“No, go back home to Dad. I'm sure he's missing you by now. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, but you call if you need me for any reason, you hear me? Nothing is too big or too small. Except spiders. I draw the line at spiders. You're on your own with those creepy little things.”
“Spiders aren't creepy or bad. They're so?—”
“Useful at eliminating other pests that are more dangerous to humans. Yeah, yeah. You've given me the speech before,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I swear it's just like Leo and the worms.”
“That's different,” I say, pretending to pout.
“How?”
“Because unlike spiders, worms are actually gross.”
We both share a laugh at that.
“You sure you're okay, Kiddo?” she asks gently.
“I'm as okay as I can be knowing Kyle and I are on the same continent, but I should be able to get some sleep.”
She pulls me into a hug and squeezes me tight.
“I love you so much, Avery.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
“Well, I guess I should be heading out, then, so you can get to it.”
When she leaves, she takes my sense of security with her. I’m tempted to call her right then and there to ask her to come back and stay, but I don’t let myself do it.
You’re a grown adult. You’re a parent. You need to be able to handle this yourself.
Rationally, I know he’s in the air somewhere on a plane and there’s no way he’s going to jump out of a closet and get me. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop me from checking inside every closet, anyway. I also make sure that both doors and every window in the place are locked.
He doesn’t know where I live. More than that, he wants nothing to do with me and hasn’t for years now.
So why can’t I shake the feeling that he’s going to come after me?
11
WESLEY
Avery really is exceptional. It’s only been three weeks and she’s already blown through all the basics. I’d figured she would, but actually seeing it play out is amazing.
Watching her move around the academy’s teaching kitchen like she’s queen of all she surveys has been the most delicious torment I could ever have imagined.
